FREE REPORT!

Healthy Aging and Exercise

Feb. 23, 2015|314 views

SpreadTheWord!

Everyone knows that exercise is important for good health. It’s
also important for weight control. Most of us think of aerobic exercise when we
think of exercise at all: running, walking, swimming, dancing, playing
basketball…all of these are examples of aerobic exercise. Also called “cardio,”
this type of physical activity raises the heart rate, and boosts the
body’s need for oxygen—hence the name aerobic, meaning “requiring
free oxygen.”

Aerobic exercise tends to be the kind of activity that a
reasonably fit person can sustain for extended periods. In contrast, weight
training, or anaerobic exercise, involves activities that put intense demands
on specific groups of muscles. Weight training—or strength
training—is usually of shorter duration, and greater intensity, than
aerobic exercise. Think of the challenge of walking five miles, versus the
challenge of doing arm curls with a 25-pound weight. One may take hours; the
other is likely to last just a few minutes, as tired muscles rapidly lose the
ability to continue contracting.

Energy is generated differently in the muscles when we do
anaerobic exercise. Both forms of exercise help build and sustain muscle mass,
but anaerobic exercise does it more efficiently. In any event, research has
consistently shown that both forms of exercise are necessary for optimal
health. I’d be willing to speculate that most women who take the time
to exercise focus more on aerobic forms of activity. But to maintain lean
muscle, and boost one’s metabolism, it’s important to do
some weight training This, in turn, makes it easier to maintain healthy body
weight.

For example, a recent study looked at the effects of these two
forms of exercise on long-term waist circumference changes in older men.
Researchers concluded that engaging in both forms of exercise is crucial for
healthy aging. Men who only engaged in aerobic exercise tended to gain greater
waist circumference than men who did both kinds of exercise. "This study
underscores the importance of weight training in reducing abdominal obesity,
especially among the elderly," said Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and
epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, and senior author of the study.
"To maintain a healthy weight and waistline, it is critical to incorporate
weight training with aerobic exercise."